Open Access Case Report DOI: 10.7759/cureus.708 Excision of Thoracic Chondrosarcoma: Case Report and Review of Literature Hai V. Le 1, 2 , Rishi Wadhwa 3 , Pierre Theodore 4 , Praveen Mummaneni 3 1. Orthopedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital 2. Orthopaedics, Brigham and Women's Hospital 3. Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF Medical Center 4. Department of Thoracic Surgery, UCSF Medical Center Corresponding author: Hai V. Le,
[email protected] Abstract Chondrosarcomas are cartilage-matrix-forming tumors that make up 20-27% of primary malignant bone tumors and are the third most common primary bone malignancy after multiple myelomas and osteosarcomas. Radiographic assessment of this condition includes plain radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging for tumor characterization and delineation of intraosseous and extraosseous involvement. Most chondrosarcomas are refractory to chemotherapy and radiation therapy; therefore, wide en bloc surgical excision offers the best chance for cure. Chondrosarcomas frequently affect the pelvis and upper and lower extremities. In rare instances, the chest wall can be involved, with chondrosarcomas occurring in the ribs, sternum, anterior costosternal junction, and posterior costotransverse junction. In this article, we present a patient with thoracic chondrosarcoma centered at the left T7 costotransverse joint with effacement of the left T7-T8 neuroforamen. We also detail our operative technique of wide en bloc chondrosarcoma excision and review current literature on this topic. Categories: General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics Keywords: chondrosarcoma, spine, chest wall, costotransverse, costovertebral, tumor, neuroforamen, thoracic spine, en bloc resection Introduction Chondrosarcomas account for 20-27% of primary malignant bone tumors and commonly affect the pelvis and upper and lower extremities [1].